New to training Seth? Start with How to train Seth for the full overview of automatic vs custom training.
A rule has two parts:
IF: what the caller says or asks
THEN: what Seth should do
Each rule is one of two kinds:
Instructions: Seth follows your THEN text. Best for short “override” lines like pricing language, discount policy, or a required sentence.
Escalate: Seth hands the call to your team, to its own email address, or to a person's phone. More on this below.
Want to shape Seth's wording in steps Instructions rules can't reach (order status, returns, ticket questions)? Use Fine-tune examples instead.
When to use rules (and when not to)
Use rules when you want
A short, repeatable answer (1 or 2 sentences)
A specific wording (example: “Say ‘return request’”)
A policy reminder (example: “Don’t promise delivery dates”)
Certain calls to go to your team, a specific inbox, or one person (use Escalate)
Do not use rules when you want
A long explanation (use Knowledge Base)
A multi-step process (use a custom skill)
An instruction that must run inside the Order Status or Request Return flows (Instructions rules won’t apply there)
Where rules apply
Instructions rules only affect Seth when he is handling support questions not handled in other flows, like checking order status or requesting a return (the “Other support questions” part of the agent).
So if you test an Instructions rule during those flows, it may look like it “doesn’t work”. That is expected.
Escalate rules work at every step of the call. If a caller brings up the topic while Seth checks their order, Seth still sends the call where your rule says.
How to add a rule
Go to Seth.
Find the section called Following rules and fine-tune examples and click the Add rules tab.
Click New rule.
Fill in the IF text (max 160 characters) and the THEN text (max 240 characters).
Choose Instructions or Escalate. For Escalate, pick where the call goes under Send to.
Click Save. The rule is live right away.
After you save, a short line under the rule shows what Seth will do with it. Read it to check Seth understood you. If it's not what you meant, make the IF more specific.
Rules that escalate
Set a rule to Escalate when certain calls need a person. Under Send to, pick where the call goes:
Your team: the call follows your escalation settings, so Seth transfers or creates a ticket.
A ticket to an email address: Seth creates a ticket that goes only to that address, like [email protected].
A person: Seth transfers the call to their phone, during business hours or any time. Add their name and number under Who. If they don't pick up, or it's outside business hours, Seth creates a ticket instead.
Under Before escalating, Seth asks for you can add details your team needs, like the order number or company name. This is optional.
If an Instructions rule sounds like an escalation, you'll see Sounds like an escalation. Click Use Escalate to switch it.
Limits
IF text: max 160 characters
THEN text: max 240 characters
All rules together: max 1,800 characters
Rules that escalate: max 10
Phone numbers: your rules can use 2 different numbers
Tip: If you keep rules short, you can add more of them.
How to write good rules
Keep the IF clear
Good IF text sounds like a real caller:
“caller asks if an item is in stock”
“caller asks for a discount or coupon”
“caller asks about shipping time”
Avoid vague IF text like:
“caller says anything”
“caller is confused”
“caller asks a question”
Keep the THEN short
Good THEN text is one simple answer:
One policy line
One sentence
No long lists
One idea per rule
Don’t mix multiple topics in one rule.
Do’s and don’ts
Do
Keep rules short
Use rules for wording and policy reminders
Use Knowledge Base for details
Make IF specific so Seth can match it correctly
Test your rule with a quick call after saving it
Don’t
Don’t write rules that conflict with each other (Example: one rule says “We do refunds” and another says “We never refund”)
Don’t write an Instructions rule that tells Seth to transfer the call or create a ticket. Set the rule to Escalate instead, so Seth sends the call where you want.
Don’t use rules for things that should be handled by a flow (Example: full return process, order tracking steps)
Troubleshooting
“My rule isn’t working”
Check these first:
Does the rule say Turned off, so Seth ignores it.? Click Turn on.
Are you under the 1,800 character total limit?
Read the line under the rule. Does it match what you meant? If not, make the IF more specific.
Are you testing an Instructions rule during a special flow (Order Status / Request a return)? If yes, the rule may not apply. Try asking a normal general question instead. You can check this by going to the Call history and seeing what the last step is before Seth answers. If it is not “Other support questions”, it is in another flow, and Seth does not have the rule.
“Seth follows the wrong rule”
You probably have two rules that look similar.
Fix by making the IF text more specific and removing overlap.